Healing me

23Apr

i want my spoon back!

I don’t like being jobless. I guess it’s one job in particular, though, that I am truly missing. I miss my residents. I miss healing. I miss feeling like I am making a difference simply by being a compassionate person. I thought that I would have all sorts of interesting stories stocked up after coming back from my trip. And I do, I suppose. But the truth is, the simplicity of one-on-one interaction and healing kindness is what I am missing. It would be silly to think that the minute I start nursing school, I will begin having these interactions again. I am aware that there will be a whole mess of textbooks and exams to contend with before I get anywhere near a patient. I can only imagine that the memories of my residents will fade further and further into the background, aging gracefully like an antique photograph. I can’t help wondering when this yearning will go away. I know that my upcoming patient interactions will never feel quite like my resident interactions. I am letting myself feel that, and feel sad about that. The uniqueness of providing one-on-one care for hours upon hours, day after day is not an experience that easy to replicate. I know that I want to be in primary care, providing services to the underserved, but I can’t help wondering whether I will find the same sense of fulfillment in a 10-minute encounter as I did with my residents. Having already experienced some of the difficulties associated with providing counseling and building a provider-patient bridge of trust in such a short time span, I wonder how I will fare with this new challenge. I get nervous about how I will do as a provider. Most superficially, I am concerned about blood and guts. I don’t like ’em. But I know I will get over that. You can only practice drawing blood so many times before you get used to it. Staring at abscesses must get easier with time, right? The human mind is miraculous in its ability to grow accustomed to anything. My deeper doubts lie in my ability to heal in a short time. Will I be able to connect with my patients? Will I feel as though I have made a difference? Will I feel overwhelmed by the suffering and my incomplete capacity to heal? This is where healing has many layers, I suppose. I didn’t really heal my residents. I helped them “live” to their full capacity. I couldn’t repair a blood clot or broken pelvis. But I could take the five extra minutes that it required to let a resident button her own sweater rather than hurriedly do it for her. I could respect another resident’s privacy by making sure to fully close the bathroom door, and knocking before reentering. And on the days that I forgot to do every single on of these small but important things, I didn’t berate myself. I looked for the things I did right. I sought to remember the interactions that would allow me to leave at the end of the day feeling like I helped someone. I can’t sweat the small stuff. Or even all of the big stuff. To try to solve all problems at once is not only impossible, but paralyzing. I don’t want to be paralyzed, I want to make a difference. One by one, and maybe someday a light will blink on, and I will know what has to be done to solve a bigger problem that plagues system of providing care. But for now it’s one person at a time and it all starts with me.

On my trip, I bought a small painting that has this Elie Wiesel quote on it:

“The start: But where was I to start? The world is so vast; I will start with the country I know best, my own. But my country is so very large. I had better start with my town. But my town too, is large. I had best start with my street. No; my home. No; my family. Never mind, I shall start with myself”

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2 responses to “Healing me”

geena

April 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm

you will always be able to connect with your patients Rachel…it will just be in a different way…I doubt you will ever have the time you had at Sunrise to nuture and tend to your patients in that same way. However, you will find that you can accomplish alot in a few minutes, if you listen, pay close attention to and truly take an interest in what is being related to you..and sometimes, to what is hidden just underneath the surface but not being voiced. A touch, a comment…you will learn valuable communication skills in your program that will carry you through, not just in your career, but day to day. You will have the knowledge to improve people’s lives through bettering their health..it is SO rewarding! When you are having a rough day and you are wondering if you ever make a difference..I challange you to look back and I am sure you won’t have to look further than the last patient or two and you will remember something you did that will improve the quality of life for that person and that’s what will keep you going. that is one of the many great things about nursing..your day can be grueling but you can always find a moment in it when you know that you made a difference. Love you – geena